Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Poured from a 12.7oz bottle (bottled on 19Jun12 (over 3 years old!!!)) into a Mikasa tulip. Pours with a half singer's worth of light brown foam that dissipates into a line within 15 seconds. Dark brown in color with a maroon tint. Has scarce, scattered, small white particles floating within the brew. Very subtle bubbles. Has strong aromas of oak with mild aromas of sour yeast and brown sugar, and subtle fig and cherry aromas (quite frankly a boring combination of aromas). Initial taste is of strong sour yeast, green apple (suddenly appears!), and oak flavors. Mild fig and brown sugar flavors along with subtle cherry flavors enter shortly after as the initial flavors persist. Medium bodied, mildly carbonated, with a mildly tart and dry finish. This was a great beer, but a relatively boring Flanders Oud Bruin. (821 characters)

The pour is dark brown with some reddish highlights. Head of foam isn't outrageous but firm and long lasting.

Fruity notes both sweet and tart in the nose. Deep whiffs give me a bit of Brett. At least I think so.

Fruity taste with a mix of sweet and sour. Identifying the fruit is, as usual, a chore for me. Black cherry, green apples. ? The base brown is there as well. But. .Oud Bruin style Ales do put the sour notes up front if they are done right. ..my opinion.

Fairly light bodied with light carbonation, I find no fault with the mouthfeel.

A very nice brew and I like having that little pull tab to help get to the cap. I will get more. (652 characters)

This is definitely a great intro into this style like others have said. It's not a WOW beer in my opinion at all, but it's damn tasty and represents all the aspects of this style really well.

The beer had a nice look. Dark red but the head disappeared within seconds. The smell was surprisingly faint for the style, but it made up for it in taste and drinkability. Unfortunately the price tag is very high which I think turns a lot of people away from this. Pricing aside, the beer is definitely worth a try. Out of the few Oud Bruins I've had this one does everything right and overall a great tasting beer. (609 characters)

Fruit, malt, tartness and spice on the nose. Pours dar brown with a thin film of a cap. The palate is sour and fruity over rich malt sweetness. The balance is tilted slightly to the sweet. (188 characters)

Deep caramel red burnt color. Barely a half finger of tan head, quickly dissolves but leaves the same tall bubbly collar on the edge. Minor amount of carbonation, even some rising though the center. Very unique color on this brew.

Interesting nose. Caramel sweet toffee notes, almost candy story like, but getting into that classic Belgian sweet character to match. Hints of peanut like brittle, faint hints of maple syrup, and just a hint of cherry fruit. Very interesting, but definitley pulling the sweet angle in the forefront.

The candy action, and light character is definitely in the fore front, leaving classic tart acidity behind and malt sweetness left behind. Light bodied, taffy like sweetness and a bit watery to match, but manages some palate enjoyment. Candy cherry sweetness with a hint of cough drop character in the mid palate. Slightly burnt finish, and with a bit of mineral carbonation kick if slightly flattened down. Hints of some mild burnt toast and crackling grains on the finish. Very light and candy character, and easy drinking.

Really comes off as a session like oud bruin and dumbed down. Easy drinking, but really nothing exciting. (1,223 characters)

Pours a cloudy and darker honey brown. Has hues in it and a fat enough head of tan foam that fell slowly enough to leave lace. Nose is vibrant with black cherry and dark fruits. Some treacle and a good little hint of something sour. Taste is rich and crisp malt. Lots of layers to this one. Dark fruits, a touch of spice and that treacle. This has a slight hop bitter that comes to the tongue just as the small pucker from sour kicks in and your mouth starts to really water. This finishes dry and with a big juiciness. Medium mouthfeel. (546 characters)

Appearance is between bordeaux-red and brown, with a white head that rapidly vanishes. Aroma of red fruits, which also reappears in the taste. This, in combination with a medium sour taste, gives the beer a winey taste. Love the beer, love the style of beer. (258 characters)

After visiting Russian River and loving their sours I now find myself gravitating in that direction. Seeking out sours I am even more convinced that RR does them right, having said that this is a pretty decent sour, abiet quite different but still darn tasty. (259 characters)

I actually don't usually like sours, but this one was pretty good. More drinkable than I expected it to be and didn't completely destroy the palate. Malt brings some sweetness and the sour taste that is there is more of a citruc sour and not a vinegar one that I expected. (272 characters)

Pours out a deep brown with red hues. Smells of caramel malts with a very subdued barrel/sour nose. Flavor has a sour twang, but not a very strong vinegar/barrel character as one would expect from this style. A bit one note. Malt tastes of general "sweet." Mouthfeel is light and prickly. This isn't bad, but really lacking in many ways. (343 characters)

O: I really liked this one. The mix of slight sour, dark fruit and rich earthiness really worked well together. This beer had a lot of flavor, but in a well rounded way unlike other beers that just try to be the most sour or the most roasty. (815 characters)

Nice deep brown color, fairly opaque. 1 finger of well tanned head lays over quickly, but a decent lace of bubbles persists

Aroma is strongly barnyard: bit of horse, bit of runoff from the horse. That dissipates as it breathes to a mild tang with some brown sugar / molasses notes

Taste has some sour and a bit of oak, Nice, but not particularly memorable

Good carbonation with a fairly thing body, pretty lively brew on the tongue

Very nice polite likable brown, perhaps a nice mild springboard if you were introducing someone to belgian sours. For my own purposes, there are some better examples I'd reach for over Bacchus (659 characters)

This is not the best looking beer- kind of a murky brown with a quickly disappearing head. Appearances aren't everything, though, especially in this corner of the beer world. The aroma is very mellow, but I get dried fruits, a touch of leather, dark brown sugar, and an overall Orange Brandy quality (kind of like Cointreau). It could definitely use some more punch, but is pleasant nonetheless.

The palate is kind of the same way- needs a little zip. There is a definite sour presence, but it only goes to 7. The flavors are more earthy, and the dark sugar dominates. The balance and mouthfeel are right where they should be, and it's quite easy to drink, but would be helped by some more complexity of flavors. The key word seems to be 'pleasant', where 'memorable' is unfortunately what the price commands. Under the right circumstances I could see knocking a few back, though. (881 characters)

Poured from a 12.7 fl oz bottle, bottled on February 14, 2012. Sampled on March 30, 2014. Over 2 years old.

A: Hazy reddish tinted brown body with a minimal tan head that vanished completely, leaving a small ring of bubbles at the glass edge.

S: Distinctly tart in the aroma. Cherries, wet grains, leather.

T: Follows the nose. Tart flavor is more pronounced. Sour cherry notes are clear, accompanied by some other tart fruits and hints of caramel sweetness. Finishes cleanly and dry.

M: Medium body, almost carbonation. Dry on the palate.

O: The bottle recommends a temperature of 41°F, a temperature some might think is too cold for a specialty beer. Absolutely sample it at this flavor, as it really allows the tartness of this beer to shine. It is funky in flavor, but this is part of the character, and actually quite enjoyable. (839 characters)

I recently bought several different Belgians to try out after a trip to Brussels. This one is good quality Belgian Dark Ale. Has subtle tastes of spices with minor after taste. It works well with charcuterie and cheeses. It's a good overall beer but I wish it had more flavor. But does not stand out and for the price you can find better brews. (344 characters)

A- Pours a reddish medium brown color with a 1/2 inch tan head that retains decently before becoming a thick ring around the edge of the glass and a full sheet of surface foam. Semi-resilient lacing leaves a thick ring behind.

S- Vinegary aroma with some hints of cherry and other dark fruit.

T- Mildly tart cherry flavor with not as much vinegar as in the aroma. Slightly glassy and a bit watery.

M- A bit dry with a very slight pucker. Medium carbonation and a body leaning toward the lighter side.

O- Lacks character. Needs to be more sour or at least have more fruit flavor. (653 characters)

T - Follows the nose with the exception of more tartness. Wet grains, cherry syrup, it's sweet but tart like SweetTart candies. Apple cider vinegar, lactic sourness. As the beer warms it increases in tartness. Notions of caramel and tart fruit. Finishes, dry and lactic.

M- Medium body, low carbonation, slightly syrupy,

Heavily oxidized and not very tasty when cold but has good tartness when warmed up. Do not drink this cold! It transforms from tasting like a mistake to a snappy, apple cider vinegar sourness that bites with sharpness and still has sweetness to round it out. Glad I let it warm up. (840 characters)

Overall: My First Flanders red. Not bad but not much to it. Very fruity cranberry taste not much on the sour side like the first smell would suggest. Don't think id buy again. 12.7oz bottle $6.99 (490 characters)

The beer is a rusty brown hue. Initially, there is a small head but this quickly fades to nil, giving a still appearance. The aroma brings sweet and sour cherry, musty basement, vinegar. Tart fruit, cranberry, raisins. Perhaps more sweet than sour. Apple juice and maraschino cherries. Low carbonation with a sugary finish. This was just ok. (341 characters)